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Answerman Returns: Take II

Apr 16th 2002

Answerman Returns: Take II

Wow! Where the hell has Answerman been? So many of you wrote in wondering where I'd gotten off to. Well, the good news is, I'm back. School and life had taken it's toll and I wasn't able to write the column for the past few weeks. Mrs. Answerman is in even deeper water and won't be able to return until the summer. For now, though, I'm back. You may see the missus again before July but for the time being, you're stuck with just me. Let's get down to business, shall we?

I have been thinking of getting the "Rurouni Kenshin" movie, but don't want
to get a head of where I am in the series (I just saw Kenshin fight
Shishio). I was wondering where the movie fits in the grand scheme of all
things Kenshin, or if it really matters at all. This is the only thing
holding me back from getting the DVD because I don't want to sit in a pool
of confusion during the movie scratching my head wondering what's going on.
I've seen some movies out of context (like "Poltergeist Report: Yuu Yuu
Hakusho" and the "Patlabor" movies) that I could follow easily and others
(like Ranma ½) where I didn't get much of anything at all. Thanks.

Nat Kan

The Rurouni Kenshin movie "Requiem for the Ishin Patriots" takes place directly after the Kyoto chapter of the TV series. You're at exactly the right place to watch the film. I'm not sure how well the film works out of context, given that there's no character development.. it plays out like a long episode of the series (The animation quality is about the same, too..), like the Cowboy Bebop movie. It's worth watching if you're a big Kenshin fan, and you're lucky to have gotten to just the right place in the TV series.

Hello,
Just a quickie. What is the exact reasoning behind people sneezing when
someone else says there name. It happens in Ranma and Trigun a few
time.
Thanks
Chris

Here's the story behind the sneezing:In Japan there's a superstition that if you sneeze once, someone's talking badly about you behind your back. Twice, and someone likes you… they're speaking highly of you. Three times and you're in luck, because someone apparently loves you. It's a very old superstition.. I'm not sure of the origins but I know the rules behind it.

Dear AnswerMan,

Last fall i bought the first 6 volumes of X/1999. I really enjoy the
story and i especially like CLAMP's artistic style. The thing is i've
been waiting for volume 7 ever since but it still hasn't been released. I
heard that the liscensing deal had gotten messed up or something and that
possibly the series had been dropped all together. Are they ever going to
release volume 7? some information would be most appreciated.

ever in your debt,

Joe

Viz jacked up the licensing with the X manga a while back but they're back on track as of right now and they should be continuing the release sometime soon. You shouldn't have to wait too long for your next fix.

Okay, this is where it gets sticky. Time for a few new rules. I'm sick of answering licensing questions, people. Stop sending me "when will (insert series here) get licensed" questions. I'm not going to answer them anymore. Go to www.animeondvd.com and look at their licensing list. I'm not going to waste space on this column answering questions that you could easily answer yourself. When I get good questions, I'll answer them as in-depth as I can. Please, try to refrain from questions like "I saw this thing I think was an anime when I was a child that had a boy and his dog in it." Unless you have substantial information about the series and can provide me with more than a basic description, I can't answer your question. What you're looking at this week is the majority of "answerable" questions. With that in mind, send away. See you next week.

Got a burning question that you can't seem to answer? Maybe the Answerman can help you! Contact the Answerman at answerman (at animenewsnetwork.com) with your questions, and read his new columns every Tuesday and Friday! Maybe your question will be answered!

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